press releases

WHAT ORDINARY CATHOLICS CAN DO

APRIL 1, 2002

CHICAGO, April 1, 2002 -- In the wake of mounting charges of sexual abuse and cover ups by bishops and priests, the largest grassroots Catholic Church reform organization in the country called for an end to the secrecy and silence that has characterized the handling of these cases.

Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call To Action said, "Open discussions are needed in every parish and diocese about sexual abuse, and the questions it raises regarding reforms needed in the structures, policies and practices of the church.

"The voices of lay men and women must be heard, not just for the sake of venting our frustration, but as full partners in deciding how to reform institutional structures. Local parish priests dealing with the fallout from scandals in which most of them played no part also must be heard."

Many concerned lay people are already speaking out:

• St. John's parish in Wellesley, Mass. initiated weekly discussions using a consensus model which involved over 600 parishioners. One goal of their meetings is, "To seek a correction of the institutional structures that resulted in a gravely flawed response to this betrayal of children." A report of their process is available on the web, http://www.voiceofthefaithful.org.
  
• Boston Catholics are circulating a petition which they plan to submit to Cardinal Law. It calls for the establishment of "an independent group of experts to formulate new procedures for financial disclosure, the sharing of information, the laity's wider participation in personnel and other policy issues, and the handling of grievances" and asks for a commitment from the Archdiocese to put these recommendations in place.
  
• A group of young adult Call To Action members began an online petition. On http://www.thepetitionsite.com, they raise their voices to "Reform Catholic Priesthood and Leadership." In addition to an end to the secrecy surrounding sexual abuse, and mandatory reporting of sexual crimes to civil authorities, the signers ask the Pope and bishops to "review and revise the entire system of Holy Orders." A link to the petition can be found at http://www.cta-usa.org.

Call To Action has been contacted by many people asking, "What can ordinary Catholics do about this crisis?" Pieczynski advises:

• Write letters to the editors of both the secular and Catholic press.
  
• Research your own dioceses' policies and procedures for handling sexual abuse allegations. Ask pointed, public questions about the financial implications of this scandal.
  
• Host group discussions around key structural issues raised by this scandal: the priest shortage, optional celibacy, married priests, and the ordination of women. In partnership with FutureChurch, Call To Action has available resource material to facilitate these discussions.

Sheila Daley, Co-Director of Call To Action, said of these resourceful lay people, "They know that we are all called to be co-responsible with our leaders for the welfare of the church. We must all take the initiative of opening the discussion of these issues in our own dioceses, parishes and communities."

Call To Action is a national organization of 25,000 laity, religious, priests and bishops with its national office in Chicago. It has 40 local chapters and advocates for reforms in the Catholic Church such as the ordination of women, optional celibacy for priests, more focus on the church's social justice teaching, and consultation with the Catholic people on church decision-making and human sexuality issues. Its web site is at http://www.cta-usa.org.

Contact: Linda Pieczynski, 630-655-8783, home 630-323-6924 or Don Wedd, 773-404-0004 ext. 270

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Call To Action
2135 W. Roscoe
Chicago, IL 60618

tel. 773-404-0004 | fax. 773-404-1610 | e-mail. cta@cta-usa.org